President Biden’s American Job Plan will set aside $40 billion in funding for transportation. Before the plan was introduced to the public, MetroLINK General Manager Jeff Nelson was invited to speak with congress about local transportation needs.
“Uniquely, in my 38 years of being in the community and being in transit, we’ve never been asked by the leadership in Washington, ‘What was missing?’ They truly are focused on making this a grassroots thing.”
The Quad Cities International Airport spends $3-5 million a year just maintaining its 10,000-foot tarmac. Executive Director Ben Leischner says the American Jobs Plan could help with improvements travelers will notice.
“As you look outside when you come to the airport, you see today we have parts of the parking lot are under construction, and that’s for covered parking for our short-term parking lot. So, when people fly out, come back and there’s a snowstorm coming back from sunny Florida, their car’s not covered in six inches of snow. It’s safe under cover.”
Federal dollars could also go to infrastructure for commerce on the Mississippi, which supports 160,000 jobs and $36 billion dollars in revenue, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
